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November 20, 2013
2013-2014 Edition
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Glanton students experience history firsthand By Celia Shortt celia@newnan.com
Earlier this month, fourth-graders at Glanton Elementary School in Grantville hosted 15 Coweta residents who shared with them stories from their generation. “It’s a wonderful thing to chat with a child,” said Glanton Elementary School Principal Katie Garrett. “Share something from your life.” “You are in the presence of some really great people,” she said to the students. “Enjoy your time with these people.” Students spent the rest of the morning with one of the 15 adult participants. These adults represented key areas and eras in Coweta County — city government, Kiwanis, educators, and community leaders. Each student listened and took notes while their adult partner shared a story from their life. Each story focused on an important or special event, place, memory, or occasion from their early life.
“We had retired educators and members of the local Kiwanis chapter, and other community stakeholders came to give students a greater sense of purpose, audience, and community, connecting to the past,” said fourth-grade teacher Ellen Thomas. Thomas and Glanton Elementary School Media Specialist Lori Mayes organized the event. After their interviews, the students used his or her notes and what they had heard during the interview to write a short story. The short stories will be published in a special “Student Treasures” book. They will also be submitted to a writing contest sponsored by the Coweta Public Library System for 4th to 12th graders. The student with the best overall composition in the contest will be awarded the grand prize of a Kindle Fire tablet. Second and third place prizes will also be awarded. The winning stories will published in a new magazine, “Truly Southern,” in March 2014.
Photo By Celia Shortt
Willie Boyd is interviewed by fourth-grader Tobias Parks. Boyd is active in community service in Coweta County.
Local survivor raises community’s awareness of pancreatic cancer By Bradley Hartsell bradley@newnan.com
November is Nat ion a l Pa ncreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and Newnan is taking a vested interest in the cause. On Nov. 5, Newnan Mayor Keith Brady and Cissy Hass, Newnan resident and pancreatic cancer survivor, along with the team at Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southeastern came together to help raise awareness and promote action against one of the deadliest cancers. Brady began the presentation by reading the official proclamation recognizing November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in Newnan. Brady presented the proclamation with Nancy Mader, a Newnanite who serves on the board of the local Southeastern Assistance in Healthcare organization. Pancreatic cancer is an issue close to Mader, as she’s lost her father, aunt and grandmother to the disease. Mader, in an emotional speech, emphasized the need to “move from awareness to action” so that doctors can do more for 45,000 that will be diagnosed this year with pancreatic cancer. While more people are diagnosed each year with other cancers, pancreatic cancer is extremely deadly. With only a 6 percent survival rate, 94 percent of patients die within five years of diagnosis. Mader said many of the symptoms are so innocuous, people never think to get checked until the cancer is in its advanced stages. One survivor was on hand, however. Cissy Hass, her team of supporters in attendance, known as “Cissy’s Army,” anchored the presentation with powerful words about breaking the expectations set for her. “Those statistics don’t apply to me,” Hass said to a large applause. Hass was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in April, leading to 17
Photos by Bradley Hartsell
Newnan’s Cissy Hass opens up about her fight against pancreatic cancer. Hass was diagnosed at Stage 4 in April and continues her fight today.
rounds of chemotherapy and five-andhalf weeks of radiation. She is certainly battle tested, and at the presentation stressed “putting an end to this insidious disease” through the ripple effect: awareness leads to funding, which leads to research, which finally leads to answers. Marie Swope, invited to the presentation as a friend of Mader, lost a sister to pancreatic cancer and found Hass’ message a powerful one. “I think she’s a remarkable, strong woman,” said Swope. “I know, because to fight this cancer, you have to be strong.” Dr. George Daneker of CTCA and Georgia Tech spoke of some of the advancements being done in pancreatic cancer research. Dr. Daneker remarked
how advocacy isn’t as strong for pancreatic cancer like it is for something like breast cancer because, unfortunately, there aren’t enough survivors to rally for the cause. “The best advocacy is better treatment,” said Daneker. He mentioned how research is not moving forward nearly as fast as the medical community would like, but locally, grants from Georgia Tech and financial augmentation from national groups are helping to push the process along. One of those groups is PanCan, or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Represented by Brooke Caviglia at the event, who closed the presentations, PanCan is a leading group in campaigning against pancreatic cancer. Caviglia stated their goal is doubling the survival rate by 2020. To see that goal, Caviglia said that every dollar PanCan raises for research is leveraged into $10 by doctors. Right before the presentation began, PanCan was alerted it had surpassed its yearly goal of $200,000 raised for 2013, which Caviglia relayed, warranting a rousing response from the crowd. “Breakthroughs are on the horizon,” Daneker said in his presentation, something PanCan reinforced when it presented its facts and figures. Those breakthroughs are hopefully coming for the fighters like Hass and to decrease the amount and the severity of diagnoses across the country. “My journey is not over, I know that,” said Hass, who recently got a purple dot tattooed on her finger to commemorate her fight. “But I am not scared.” Absent that day was her son, currently serving in the Navy. She hated he had to be overseas worrying about his mother. She looked back with teary eyes at her “army,” with her son there in spirit. “I fight for you,” she said.
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Prepare a memorab le Thanksgiv ing dinne r ➤ PA GE 5 Barbeque Roast Turkey
Unforgettable Feast Everyone wants to serve their guests a delicious, memora ble meal, especially during the holidays. This year, bring dishes to the table that put an easy, elegant and flavorful twist on the traditional. Whether you’re a first time host or a seasoned pro, there are certain secrets to help ensure a holiday meal that is both elegant and effortless. One such secret is using dressings and sauces to enhance savory flavors and add zest to your meals. One taste and your guests will think you spent hours in the kitchen. Start with a salad of Baby Greens with Roasted Pears, Feta and Walnuts. The heart-healthy walnuts and olive oil are combined with feta cheese, baby greens and firm, ripe pears. Toss in your favorite dressing for a quick, easy salad that will have your guests lining up for more. Not only is the salad good for you, the healthy oils found in salad dressings help the body to better absorb key nutrients. Your
guests will love having a healthy dish on the table. Your guests will also love Grilled Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce. Whisk together a spicy sauce with savory ingredients, such as Dijon mustard, hot sauce, capers, parsley and mayonnaise, which is made with healthy oils and contains Omega 3 fatty acids. Baste sauces on skewered shrimp as they grill for a zesty and spicy dish that can be used as an appetizer or tasty side item. Make a BBQ Roast Turkey the centerpiece of your table. Start with your favorite barbecue sauce and add a few additional ingred ients to give it an extra kick of flavor. The finished sauce is then basted on the turkey as it roasts to create a spicy glaze. This holiday season, experiment with your favorite dressings and sauces to create meals for your family. You can also visit www.dressings-sauces.org for more holiday meal recipe ideas.
Coweta students compete in math challenge at Auburn University
Coweta students traveled to Auburn University. Students were, front row, Andrew Gaillard (SRMS), RJ Pettaway (SRMS), Nicholas Harrington (SRMS), Chad North (CEC), Terry Broadwater (CEC), Brian Bales (CEC), Myles Webb (CEC), Logan Haynes (CEC); second row, Roneesha Bowles (SRMS), Shaylen Marshall (SRMS), Samone Alexander (SRMS), Kimberly Hatfield (SRMS), Maxy Gates (SRMS), Lindy Payne (ECMS), Uzoma Offor (ECMS), Bahsia Ennaemba (ECMS), Nate Plyant (SRMS), TJ Plyant (SRMS), Sydney Varnadoe (CEC), Meghan Sanders (CEC), German Figueroa (CEC); third row, Jessica Grote (SRMS), Alma Reyes (SRMS), Nate Barnett (ECMS), Mackenzie King (ECMS), Mary Thompson (ECMS), Jenna Stover (SRMS), Jaylen Crumbley (SRMS), Luke Morgan (SRMS), Jackson Carroll (SRMS), Isaac Barnett (ECMS), and River Hardin (ECMS).
Thirty-two Coweta County middle-schoolers recently traveled to Auburn University to compete in the Auburn Mathematical Puzzle Challenge (AMP’d). Students from the Central Educational Center’s 8 th Grade Academy, East Coweta Middle and Smokey Road Middle competed in a day full of challenges at the event, and walked away with one first place win. Students began the day by competing in a marketing challenge. Students purchased goods to solve a problem that would lead them to their room key. Once inside, teams were given three puzzles to solve. The Coweta teams solved all three
puzzles and received bonus pieces as well. Following challenges included three more puzzles and three more bonuses. The students worked throughout the day to gain pieces to a final puzzle. During the final challenge the team from CEC won first place and received the “Ready Set Go” award. Each team received a plaque, a puzzle and T-shirts. “The students represented the county with excellence and their teachers could not be more proud of their accomplishments,” said East Coweta technology teacher Blaire Booth.